The present invention relates to voice mail systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for remote management of voice messages from a voice mail system, such as through use of a cellular telephone.
Currently some wireless services offer message waiting and similar services where voice mail messages can be stored in a voice mail system and delivered through a wireless communication network, such as a cellular telephone network, after a call is specifically made to the voice mail system to retrieve the voice mail messages. In some systems, the number of stored voice mail messages can be determined by looking at the display of a phone that has been powered-on. However, knowing only the number of voice mail messages stored in a voice mail system is not sufficient for active users and subscribers who need up-to-date information for business, education and other purposes. Furthermore, such a system has no advantage at all if the cellular telephone is roaming out of its calling area or cannot obtain a carrier signal. If the cellular telephone is roaming, then the cellular telephone network providing the roaming service has no knowledge of whether that cellular telephone has messages waiting in a voice mail system of another cellular provider. Of course, if the cellular telephone is outside the service area of any cellular network, then the cellular telephone cannot make any calls, much less retrieve information concerning voice mail messages.
Existing cellular network voice mail systems can forward a voice mail message notification (or message waiting indicator) to a subscriber of a voice mail system indicating that the subscriber has one or more voice mail messages waiting for retrieval. This notification can include additional information such as caller ID, the calling number of the party leaving the voice mail message, and an index listing the various messages so that a subscriber can scroll through them and retrieve a particular voice mail message.
The addition of speech memory to a cellular telephone that is already provided with voice compression and expansion circuitry can act as a recording device during a conversation on the cellular telephone. Consequently, such a telephone could be used as an answering machine, wherein an incoming message is recorded in the memory and, upon the pushing of a button on the control pad of the telephone, the stored message is played back to a person utilizing the telephone.
However, these systems have not solved all the problems that exist in the field of cellular voice mail systems. There is an acute need for today""s business people to have access to devices and systems that help them receive and manage voice mail messages while they are away from those locations that grant them direct access to their voice mail system. The devices must be capable of receiving and organizing information and conveniently providing the information to the user on demand and in a format appropriate to the message. Moreover, the devices must be dynamic and flexible, allowing the user to easily reconfigure them as needs change. For example, some users have different sets of information that must be available at different times and there is a need to easily change from one set to another, regardless of location.
There is a need for a method to contact the cellular telephone""s voice mail system when the cellular telephone is roaming. What is also needed is a method for a cellular telephone to easily reach its voice mail messages when the cellular telephone cannot obtain a carrier signal. Additionally, a method is needed to archive voice mail messages by transferring voice mail messages from a cellular telephone""s memory to another memory medium, such as a personal computer or another cellular telephone, whereby additional cellular telephone memory would be made available for other voice mail messages.
The present invention provides a system comprising a voice mail server for storing voice mail messages and a cellular telephone, personal computer, remote server or other computers that can retrieve copies of the stored voice mail messages and then transfer the voice mail messages between themselves. The system is configured to enable the cellular telephone to retrieve its voice mail messages from a voice mail server, remote server, personal computer or a second cellular telephone in computer readable format. In the present invention, a cellular telephone can retrieve voice mail messages from any service providing storage and retrieval of voice mail messages.
In one embodiment, the invention provides for a personal computer or a remote server to retrieve voice mail messages from a voice mail recorder/player. In this embodiment, a voice mail recorder/player cannot be synchronized with another computer and is capable of delivering voice mail messages only in spoken voice format (i.e., non-computer readable format). The personal computer or remote server, using a conventional modem or other communication medium, establishes a connection with the voice mail recorder/player and records the voice mail messages in a computer readable format, such as WAV or MP3. A cellular telephone can then retrieve the voice mail messages from the personal computer or remote server by connecting to the personal computer or remote server over the Internet or other computer network or connection. The connection by the remote server or personal computer to the voice mail recorder/player may be established automatically at set point intervals or, alternatively, may be established manually.
In another embodiment, a voice mail message may be stored on a voice mail server in computer readable format. A personal computer, remote server, or cellular telephone may then synchronize with the voice mail server and retrieve voice mail messages in computer readable format, such as WAV. The remote server or personal computer may retrieve the voice mail messages through the Internet using a conventional browser. A cellular telephone may retrieve the voice mail messages through the Internet using a conventional microbrowser.
Similarly the invention provides for a first cellular telephone to transmit voice mail messages to a second cellular telephone in computer readable format. This can be especially useful if the voice mail message contains detailed instructions, directions or is a group of many voice mail messages, because the transfer of the voice mail message in computer readable format can be performed quicker than if transmitted as a voice transmission.
Additionally the invention provides for a cellular telephone to synchronize with a personal computer to transfer voice mail messages between the two devices, to arrange them into convenient groups, files, or directories in the personal computer, and then to download these conveniently grouped voice mail messages to the cellular telephone""s memory, thereby facilitating local retrieval of a voice mail message when needed.